The return of Love
Tamila Kotljarevska, the director of the Charitable association “Light of Hope”, initiated the arrangement of the camp 3 years ago. This year the number of camp participants increased to 30, including people from Poltava, Kiev and Odessa. This year camp expanded almost in 1,5 times compared to 2003. To cover the extra costs, Association turned for additional support. “Elena Pinchuk Foundation ANTIAIDS as well as other sponsors supported the camp, by supplying the sport equipment, tentage, food and all necessary equipment”, - tells Tamila Kotljarevska.
The rehabilitation-therapeutic tent camp is taking place every year since 2001 under initiative of charitable association “Light of Hope”, the main purpose of which is social and psychological help for HIV-positive people, drug addicted and their families.
This year camp program included therapeutic groups, workshops on drug addiction and HIV/AIDS, handling of self-care groups as well as sport and role-playing games, quizzee, different contests, trainings, such as: “Life with HIV/AIDS”, “Child and HIV/AIDS”, “Assistance in building family relationships”.
The camp organizers say that every person has its own reasons to visit the camp, but all of them are striving for communication and sharing experience about life without drugs.
Most of the camp participants say that this particular camp helped them to reconsider their attitude towards their life values as well as to find their place in the society.
Denis, 27 years old: “A week ago I was dismissed from prison. In the camp I felt the warmth of human relations, understood that there people, who need me, that I am not a castaway. Sometimes it’s difficult to live with HIV-positive status, but thanks to people who was next to me, and to a warm atmosphere, I came to understanding, that there is no difference between me and other people and I am not a bad person despite my HIV-positive status. Due to therapeutic groups I understood that I need to do my best to improve myself. What a beautiful sunsets and dawn I saw while staying in the camp. This nice and friendly atmosphere I will remember forever. I have never experienced such wonderful moments that I had in this camp “The return of love”. I would like to visit the camp next year and I am eagerly waiting for this moment to come”.
Maria, 24 years old: “Here I understood, how to live soberly, here I realized, that I needed, here I found out what love and friendship means. Everybody in the camp has the same problems, but also we have common aspirations - we want to change our life, and here we get the chance to do so. I must admit that for the first time in my life I noticed all the beauty of sunsets!”.
The title of the camp – “The Return of Love”, the motto of people, who has been arranging the camp and provided support to - “Stop us from being indifferent!”.
For detailed information, please, contact Pavel Piminov, Communications Director, Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation on e-mail: [email protected]. Contact phone number: +38 (044) 490 4805.
